They sprinted into a compound and secured the ­innocent locals there before fighting back near ­ Shahzad, a village taken from the Taliban in February during Operation Moshtarak.[>

[>

Then, as they spotted Taliban shooters hiding amid women and children, it was time to unleash the ­awesome power of the sniper’s best friend – the recently- introduced 8.33mm calibre L115A3 rifle, which is able to take out a target at 1,100 metres.[>

[>

One soldier, who wished only to be named as Sniper Two, said: “We left our patrol base just before first light towards the compound.[>

[>

“We couldn’t see anyone so pushed on and that’s when all hell broke loose.[>

[>

“We were attacked by different weapons and people, so we moved under fire towards the compound.”[>

[>

His commander went on: “Straight inside, after the complete adrenalin outside, we were expecting the Taliban to be in the compound but we were met by four children, an elderly man and his wife.[>

[>

“The lads cleared the compound of the locals and the interpreter dealt with them.[>

[>

“From there I co-ordinated the snipers up on to the roof.”[>

[>

Using their rifle scopes, magnifying the ­action 25 times, they were able to ­single out the militant fighters.[>

Sniper Two said: “First of all I saw women and children.[>

[>

“I was trying to find the firing points. They had been using ‘murder holes’ – holes in walls which they’ve knocked out so they can stick their rifles through.”[>

[>

Another sniper said: “Once we got up into the tower we identified the enemy and distinguished between them and civilians they were using as human shields.[>

[>

“We had sniper rifles, the .338, which is a precision weapon, so we were able to take clean shots without ­injuring any civilians.”[>